The present invention relates to an improved protective cable cover for use with welding and cutting apparatus such as water cooled TIG (tungsten inert gas) torches, plasma torches and MIG (metal inert gas) guns. Protective cable covers have been used for years to protect and bundle the lines used with these welding and cutting devices. TIG torches, for example, are divided into two groups; air cooled for light duty applications and water cooled for medium to heavy applications. Air cooled torches utilize the radiation from the torch to the surrounding air for cooling and have a single power line extending between the torch head and the power supply or welding machine. That line is reinforced and durable and does not generally require a protective cover. The water cooled TIG torch, however, has three separate service lines connecting the torch head to the welding machine. A first line supplies inert gas to the torch head nozzle. A second line supplies cooling water to the torch head. The third line functions as the water return line and has a conductive cable therein to provide the electric current to the torch head. These lines or hoses are generally constructed of a flexible plastic or rubber tubing and are relatively soft and not particularly durable. As a result, these lines are susceptible to damage from abrasion and sharp objects as they are dragged around the shop floor. They are also susceptible to damage from molten spatter and from being drawn over hot work pieces. As a result, protective covers have been used to protect these lines. The covers also serve to bundle together the individual lines so that they will be less likely to become entangled or caught on other objects. Clips, twist ties or other wrappings are generally avoided as they can choke off or restrict the fluid flow in the lines and create operational and overheating problems.
Protective cable or line covers typically extend the full length of the lines between the torch head and the welding machine or other power supply and are constructed of a wide variety of materials. Durable and flexible material such as nylon or leather are most commonly used. The construction of these protective covers includes slip-on tubing or sheaths and elongated flat strips or webbing that are sewn together along adjacent longitudinal edges or fitted with zippers, snaps, hook and loop fasteners or zip locks along the length of the cover for securing the cover about the line or lines. These cable covers are not only used with water cooled TIG torches, they are also commonly used with plasma torches and MIG guns to protect and bundle the lines. They are occasionally used on air cooled TIG torches for added protection for the power and gas line and in other situations where protection and/or bundling is desired, e.g. where the welder has added an on/off switch to the handle of his or her air cooled TIG torch, which adds another line to the welding assembly and thus creates a need for bundling the lines together.
While these cable covers generally provide excellent protection for the lines, the closures employed on the covers present a variety of problems. Zippered closures extending along the length of the cover are the most popular as they can be easily and quickly installed about the torch lines. One end of the cover is attached to the torch handle and the balance is just zipped closed back to the power supply. Hook and loop fasteners are difficult and time consuming to install particularly along longer lengths. The lines on welding and cutting torches are generally provided in 12.5 foot and 25 foot lengths. Snaps also take longer to secure than zippers and provide unprotected openings in the cover between the snaps that tend to snag on objects around the weld area. While the covers with zippered closures are easy to install and do not present a snagging problem, they do not allow for the separation of the ends of the individual torch lines for connection at their proper locations. Depending on the machine design, it is often desirable to have the supply water line or the gas line project from the cover two to three feet from the power supply panel. As a result, the torch operator using a cover with a zippered closure must leave the last two or three feet of the cable cover unzipped and dangling and exposing the torch lines. To fully protect the lines and avoid a dangling cover, the operator must cut a hole in the cover to allow the lines to exit the cover at the desired locations more proximate the power supply. Cutting the cover, however, leads to fraying and tears and destroys the structural integrity or the cover.
It would be highly desirable to provide a protective cable cover for the torch lines which combines the ease and speed of the zippered closure and the ability of a snap or hook and loop fastener to allow one or more of the bundled lines to exit the cover at any desired location or locations proximate the power supply without presenting a snagging problem or adversely attracting the integrity of the cover. Such a cover would save time in installation, protect the torch lines up to the power supply panel, eliminate the fraying of the cover about any holes cut therein and provide for a tidy and compact installation. The protective cover of the present invention obtains these results.
Briefly, the present invention comprises a protective cover for use with welding and cutting apparatus that protects and bundles together the lines extending between the torch head and power supply that can be quickly and effortlessly secured in place about the lines and allows the individual lines to exit the cover at any desired location or locations proximate the power supply for connection at separate locations. The cover comprises an elongated panel formed of a durable material and defines parallel lateral edge portions. The panel is adapted to be folded about its center axis over the torch lines such that the panel covers the lines and the lateral edge portions of the panel are in adjacent juxtaposition. A zipper fastener is provided on the edge portions along a first section of the panel and a pair of mating strips of a hook and loop fastener are provided on the edge portions along a second section of the panel. The length of the first section of the panel can vary depending on the length of the torch lines but is substantially greater than the length of the second section of the panel which is about two to three feet. The combined lengths of the two panel sections are substantially equal to or slightly less than the length of the lines extending between the torch head and power supply. The zipper fastener allows a major section of the cover to be quickly and easily secured about the torch handle and zipper closed back to the last three feet of the cover which is then closed about the lines using the hook and loop fasteners. The use of the hook and loop fastener allows one or more of the bundled lines within the protective cover to exit the cover laterally at any desired location or locations along the second section of the panel proximate the power supply and allows the cover to be sealed on either side of the torch line exit area or areas thereby minimizing the exposure of the individual torch lines and maintaining the integrity of the cover.
It is therefore the principal object of the present invention to provide an improved protective cable cover for use with welding and cutting apparatus.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a protective cable cover for use with welding and cutting apparatus which allows for both quick and easy installation about the torch lines and minimizes the exposure of the individual lines when connected at separate locations on and proximate the power supply.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a protective cable cover for use with welding and cutting apparatus which allows for one or more lines to exit the cover at any desired location or locations proximate the power supply without adversely affecting the integrity of the cover.
It is a still further object of the present invention to provide a protective cable cover for use with welding and cutting apparatus which facilitates installation, maximizes line protection and is of simple construction and economical to manufacture.
These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become readily apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.